C3

lore

C3 (C3-fullero-tris-methanodicarboxylic acid) is a synthetic
neurological booster that allows users to
compartmentalize memories and skills so that they do not interfere in
situations where they are not useful. The drug is classified as a potent
psychotropic and is highly regulated by the
empires. It is Class B Monitored Substance
under CONCORD treaty, heavily restricting its use
and possession, as the side-effects of use are potentially fatal. It is
commonly used as a performance enhancer by capsuleers, Mind Clash
players, and others in intellectually and
emotionally challenging fields. The drug was once extremely expensive,
but excursions into wormholes have discovered
vast quantities of the chemicals used to produce it, lowering costs
immensely.

History

C3 was first synthesized in YC102 by scientists working for Zainou Biotech.
The group was searching for a chemical
compound that could be used to treat frontotemporal dementia by forcing
the brain to remap the functions of the frontal lobe onto other parts of
the brain. Initial tests of C3 appeared promising, but it was quickly
discovered that the drug did not actually transfer the skills of the
frontal lobe, instead merely allowing patients to more clearly focus on
tested skills to the detriment of others.

Zainou realized a promising drug when it saw one, however, and
repurposed the drug for other uses. Trials proved that the drug was
remarkable in its ability to improve short-term cognitive functions and
concentration. Test subjects reported that they entered into something
described as a "trance" where they thought only about whatever specific
task was at hand, without any distracting thoughts or disturbances being
noticed.

However, several test subjects also experienced extreme reactions to
repeated use of the drug. Rather than it wearing off after a few hours,
the users would become "locked in". Skills and memories related to the
specific task they were engaging in were seemingly lost entirely, with
the user's only desire to perform the task over and over until
exhaustion. In one notable trial, a former doctor became obsessed with
the construction of shoes by hand, blocking out entirely the memories of
his family and friends and becoming measurably distressed when his
cobbling tools were taken away from him.

Because of these results, Zainou halted human testing of the drug until
a method of counteracting the side effects was discovered. As yet, no
such refinement has been made, though at some point the method of
manufacturing the drug slipped into outside hands. From there, the
recipe spread into the hands of the various criminal cartels of
New Eden, who began manufacturing the drug
for wealthy clientele.

For the first decade of its existence, C3 was a very expensive drug,
traded only in very small quantities among the upper echelons of the
criminal underworld. Buyers often dealt directly with drug lords
themselves to purchase the drug. However, following the opening of
numerous wormholes across the cluster in YC111,
manufacturers discovered massive quantities of the gas clouds utilized
in C3's creation in wormhole space. This caused the price of C3 to
plummet.

Effects

C3 is a powerful psychoactive drug, working directly on the user's
brain. Unlike many other psychotropics, C3 does not cause
hallucinations, but rather causes neurons that are not actively firing
at the time of its application to remain off. This has the effect of
compartmentalizing memory and skill, enabling the user to block out any
skills, thoughts, or memories that do not facilitate the task at hand.
Users have likened the effects of use to being in a trance, or having
extreme focus. They are unable to think of anything not related to their
current task, regardless of it importance or danger.

The drug is typically taken right as a person begins a specific task
when their mind is most focused on it. This allows the skills and
experiences required to best complete the task to be fresh and engaged,
reducing the chances that the drug either blocks out something necessary
or allows something unwanted to remain. More experienced users can call
up a specific list of skills and memories, but this takes much practice
and is not infallible.

The onset time is fast, on the order of a few minutes, as the chemicals
act on the brain pathways. Once it has fully taken hold, users act
frenetically to accomplish their current tasks. They are unable to focus
on anything else for more than a few seconds, making things such as
conversations impossible. Instead, they continue at the task until the
drug wears off.

Different dosage sizes change the amount of time the compartmentalized
state lasts. Under ideal circumstances, the dose is sized so that it
will wear off shortly after the task is completed. Users who complete
their task but still are under the effects of the drug can become
distressed and violent should they be unable to continue it.

Risks

Use of C3 carries several dangers. The most publicized is the "locked
in" condition, where the neurons of the brain blocked by the drug become
permanently turned off. People in this condition continue to act as if
they are under the drug's effects, even when it wears off, losing the
ability to perform any tasks that are unrelated to what they were doing
beforehand. The condition is reversible, though it typically takes
several years of extensive psychotherapy to cure. The locked in
condition is rare, however, and it appears to either affect a user the
first time the drug is used or never.

The more common risk of C3 is that users block out all stimuli not
related to their task when under its effects. This can have disastrous
consequences, such as a user refusing to flee from a burning building
while still in the middle of their work. Numerous cases of users being
injured due to their being unable to comprehend situations unrelated to
their tasks have been reported, from the aforementioned fire, to users
walking out into traffic, to forgetting to eat or drink, among others.

Finally, a user who completes their task, but is still under the effects
of the drug can become highly distressed unless they are given a similar
task to complete. Should their ability to continue work be taken from
them, their reactions are unpredictable. Many may become violent, others
suicidal, while some may simply become catatonic until the drug wears
off.

Users

With the drug becoming cheaper and more readily available, the number of
users has increased dramatically. Previously, only very rich individuals
could afford the drug, limiting its scope. Now, however, many different
echelons of society are able to partake.

Capsuleers are one of the more common users. As many capsuleers pick up
skills they are unable to use constantly, C3 enables them to focus on a
specific area and excel at it for a short period of time. For example, a
capsuleer who has trained to mine likely does not need those skills
while flying an Amarr battleship and can take C3 and block out anything
related to mining.

The drug has grown popular among laborers, factory workers, and others
whose jobs are repetitive and require only a small skillset. By taking a
sufficiently large dose prior to work, the user can be more efficient.
Such users also commonly report increased happiness with work, as while
under the effects of C3, they are unable to contemplate other things
that would normally cause dissatisfaction.

Students have also found C3 to be beneficial, particularly when it comes
to test-taking. By blocking out all information unrelated to the subject
at hand, the students can more easily recall pertinent facts and
material.

Mind Clash players often utilize the drug as a form of psychic
shielding. The drug can help them block out the attacks of their
opponents, leaving them fortified against some of the more insidious
attacks. Of course, the governing bodies drug test prior to all matches,
preventing the use of C3 in most high-level competitions. However, this
has not stopped some from attempting to mask their use, in order to gain
an advantage. Similarly, competitors in other sports have found C3 of
some use, allowing them to focus more readily on their performance.

Potential Uses

There has been some thought that the drug could be used by soldiers,
both to make them more efficient at their jobs and to help them cope
with post traumatic stress disorder. The theory is that by using the
drug while in combat, soldiers will block out things such as moral
qualms, preventing the conflict from ever arising. Once the drug wears
off, the psychological trauma will have passed, thus ensuring that no
permanent connection is formed in the user's mind. This theory has yet
to be tested in the field, however.

An additional potential use takes advantage of the extreme risks of the
drug for those with at least two clones. The basic premise is that a
person would transfer their consciousness to a new clone, then
purposefully overdose on C3. This clone's brain would then be locked in
to its concentrated state, making it ready to access at a moment's
notice. The user would then jump clone back into their "base state"
body, free of the chemical effects of C3. This would, in essence, split
an individual's personality into two bodies; one a "combat
consciousness" and one a "baseline consciousness".

Trials have been positive in this regard and because it acts only on a
clone body, the risks of permanent damage are negated. However, it is
considered a borderline breach of CONCORD's regulations against having
two active clones at one time. Supporters claim that only one clone is
actually active, with the other unconscious, but opponents say by
splitting the personality into two bodies, both clones are technically
active even if one is "asleep". The legality of its usage in this regard
is still under review.